Once more into the darkness . . .

With three sessions of practice on Saturday, the packed programme continues through into Sunday. Qualifying comes early in the day, at 09:45, followed by warm-up at 13:00. The drivers then have to participate in the autograph session in the paddock, before snatching a hasty lunch and preparing for the main event. For the second race in a row, the Le Mans Series heads through into the night. The Hungaroring 1000 Kilometres will begin at four o'clock (CET) and is expected to run for the full six hours, with the chequered flag falling at 22:00.

Qualifying

GT
There was a very subdued start to qualifying, with nearly five minutes of the GT session already ticked by before the first car emerged on track, and even that didn't get far. The Atlas Saleen #66 managed to get to the exit of Turn Two before the front right wheel simply fell off and bounced away across the grass. The car was dragged unceremoniously backwards and off the track, allowing the rest of the GT grid to resume the session.

Even then, it was hardly exciting. Almost half way through the twenty minutes, and just three cars had set times. Not before a mere seven minutes remained did all thirteen Gt2 cars register on the screens, plus the sole remaining GT1 Saleen, the #50 Larbre car. With five minutes to go the wick was finally turned up, and the times began to tumble, and places change. Darren Turner among the first to show, notching 1:47.688 for the #92 Aston, before Andrew Kirkaldy eclipsed that in the #91 CRS Ferrari, posting 1:46.950. The Farnbacher #89 was also up there and battling, but Turner hadn't given up, and impressed again with a 1:46.847 to reclaim his claim on provisional pole.

Bizarrely, Darren Turner's time was then disallowed, and his time deleted for travelling "outside the track limits", which is a euphemism for cutting corners. So, after a hiatus of excitement, it was back to square one, with Kirkaldy holding pole from Parente in the #96, and then Turner on an approved time of 1:47.226.

In the final minute, Parente popped in with a 46.535 to edge out Kirkaldy, and with Fisichella into third for the #95. Then, on his last lap, an improvement from Fisichella to step up to second. So a Ferrari clean sweep, made more emphatic as Companc posted 1:47.157 to claim fourth, and demote Turner to fifth. The first eight cars in GT2 separated by just around one second, so a tight race in order throughout this already competitive field. Sadly, the same can not be said of GT1, with just one car posting a time; 1:47.005 for the #50 Larbre Saleen, and good enough for fourth in that session, albeit a guaranteed pole for GT1.

With no other incidents on track, a relaxed ten-minute break for the marshals as they awaited the arrival of the prototypes at 10:15.

Prototypes
The sight of Oliver Panis stripping down to his tattoos on the TV monitors must have spurred the rest of the prototype drivers into action, as there was an instant flurry of action as soon as the pitlane exit lights turned green. Panis and the Oreca Peugeot were among that leading group, as was Lahaye (#24) Ebbesvik (#41) and Hughes (#31).

The first prototype incident came early into the session,and right at the end of the main straight, where the Signature Plus Aston Martin Lola ploughed nose-first into the tyres. The first decent time came from Lahaye in the #24, topping the times with a 1:36.073. He was promptly bettered by Greg Mansell in the #5 Beechdean Mansell Ginetta Zytek. His glory was brief, courtesy of Olivier Panis and a posting of 1:33.849.

Meanwhile, Tommy and the #25 Lola remained static in the box, waiting their moment. A little further along the pitlane, Danny Watts was also keeping a watching brief on the screens. Not so Olivier Pla, popping to the top of the P2 screen for ASM with a 1:35.586 and ousting Lahaye by half a second. Ebbesvik third and Cioci fourth for MIK Racing's #29 Lola Judd.

Warren Hughes was baulked terribly by one of the FLM Orecas as he came round to complete his best lap of the session, clocking 1:39.458 to claim fifth. There's no doubting it could have been a good second or more faster.

With ten minutes completed, the name of Tommy Erdos finally flagged up on the screens as the RML Lola HPD took to the track. His first flyer was a 1:36.809 to claim third. Still no sign of Strakka, and ditto the two Rebellion Lolas, all leaving it particularly fine. Tommy next time was a 1:36.250, to improve his record, but not his position. Moreau set his first flying lap of 1:35.873 in the #35 Oak Racing Pescarolo to move second.

Warren Hughes found some extra space with five minutes to go, posting 1:37.796, but only good enough now for seventh in LMP2. Meanwhile, a first lap for Boullion in the #13 Rebellion Lola of 1:33.974 was good for second, and then 1:32.924 from Jani in the #12 claimed provisional pole. That was enough to tempt Panis back out on track, but not before Boullion slotted back in at the top with a 1:32.888 for the #13.

As the chequered flag was being unfurled and eyes focused on the countdown, Danny Watts finally appeared on track for Strakka, with just three minutes to go. Erdos, meanwhile, had called it a day. "We're here for the race," said Phil Barker. "Some of these other guys may be using qualifying tyres, but we're in race trim."

So, with a minute to go, we had an unexpected one-two for the Lolas, with the #4 Peugeot third. This situation was made even more remarkable when Watts came through to post his very first time. It was a 1:33.653 and enough for third overall, ahead of the Peugeot. Panis responded with a 1:33.613 to regain third, but Watts hadn't finished. A full second slower in sector one, Watts picked up the pace through the second and third sectors, and then astounded everyone by crossing the line in a time of 1:32.431 to claim not only a class pole, but an overall pole as well. That left the Oreca Peugeot languishing in fourth overall, a full second down on the Strakka HPD.

That was a simply stunning performance from Danny Watts and the Strakka HPD, blowing not only the rest of the P2 cars into the weeds, but doing much the same with the P1 grid as well. This truly sets this weekend up for a remarkable race.

Qualifying - LMP2 Times

Post Qualifying Notes

"We elected to run the hardest compound we would in qualifying," explained Tommy. "We‘ll be starting the race on those same tyres, of course, and hopefully we’ll be able to double-stint them. It is a compromise on outright performance, but if we can get some of that time back after the first couple of hours of racing, it will put us in a good position for the rest of the race."

"Waiting until late in the session before we went out ensured that the tyres were at their hottest, from the ovens, as soon as I got out on track. Once I'd done a couple of flying laps, we knew it would be difficult to make any significant improvement, and it was more important to minimise the mileage we put onto that first set of tyres, so I pitted early and sat out the rest of the session," he added.

"We don‘t have a car that’s prepared with qualifying in mind," he said. "The bigger picture is always the race, and the championship as a whole. Being a few tenths quicker for one or two slots on the grid would be a compromise on our set-up that’s just not worth it. There’s a lot at stake now. Everyone’s focused on the championship now, and so are we."

"That was a fantastic time from Danny," conceded Tommy. "I have to applaud everything they’ve done, but it was always on the cards at a circuit like this. It’s a credit to the team as a whole. They’re doing a great job, and that was a great team effort."

"That was a good, solid run, and we’re very happy with the position," said Pauline Norstrom, Marketing and Motorsport Director at AD Group. "We expected something special from Strakka, and they certainly delivered, but it’s a good result for the series, and for the class. It has certainly focused attention on the Le Mans Series. But the race won’t be won on the first lap, and while it might have been pleasing to be higher up the grid, there was no need for us to push any harder in qusalifying. What we need now is a good, dependable run in the race to secure more points and strengthen our position in the championship."

Warm-up
With the first of the Radical support races out of the way, and the last of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo races dispensed with, it was time for the last LMS track action before the race itself. The official warm-up began at one o'clock, and there was soon a major incident for the #48 Formula Le Mans Oreca car, heading off heavily into the barriers at Turn 9. The red flags were displayed immediately around the track, hardly a minute into the scheduled twenty minutes, although the screens took some while to catch up. Tommy was early on the scene, and radioed through to update the team.

The car, which qualified third in FLM, immediately looked heavily damaged, and so too did the Armco nearby. First sights of the tangled remains being lifted onto a flatbed suggested the chassis was perhaps beyond repair, at least for today. The session was initially suspended for twenty minutes, but then the situation was reviewed, and a restart time of 13:35 was suggested, but at 13:30 the decision was taken to abandon the session. There would be no resumption of the warm-up.

Having truncated Warm-up, it was straight into the autograph session, and this proved to be a well-attended occasion, marked by bright sunshine and a scrum of eager spectators, clamouring for memorabilia.

The three RML drivers were under pressure though to be back in the garage and undergoing some last-minute briefing. This included a lesson on how to remove the rear engine cover, single-handed . . . just in case..

The Race
Our coverage of the full six hours of the Hungaroring 1000 Kilometres 2010 was uploaded "live", starting on a new page. To follow this blow-by-blow account, please follow this link.

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